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Writing duo to light 'Lamp' for D'Works

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Dave Guion and Michael Handelman have been hired to adapt "Children of the Lamp" for producer Nina Jacobson at DreamWorks. Mark Sourian and Chloe Dan are overseeing the project for the studio.

The "Lamp" series, from British author P.B. Kerr, includes four children's fantasy novels about a family of djinn (a kind of genie) who disguise themselves as humans but can still grant wishes. The books have sold more than 1 million copies worldwide and are viewed as a potential family-film franchise.

Jacobson, who marshaled the "Princess Diaries," "Chronicles of Narnia" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" films as president of Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group, has a solid record on franchises.

"Billy Elliot" scribe Lee Hall wrote a draft before the WGA strike but moved on to other commitments.

Guion and Handelman, repped by UTA, were one of the writing teams on the in-development DreamWorks comedy "Dinner for Schmucks," to which Sacha Baron Cohen is attached to star. (partialdiff)